Even The Best Fall Down Sometimes
by Neukar
Summary: In the middle of the night, Shiori rushes into her son's room while he's having a nightmare. With a crash, she unexpectidly finds herself faced with a blade at her throat and several unanswered questions. What's Kurama to do? Mild language.


**A/N:**

**A little idea that's been swirling around in my head. Yeah. So, in otherwords, I'm further procrastonating against my projects that are due Friday, October 14, 2005. Shoot me now.**

**It was kinda-sorta inspired by a song (I can't remember the name) where a few of the lyrics are:**

**_'Even the best fall down sometimes..._**

**_Even the wrong words seem to rhyme...'_**

**Know the name? Give it to me in a reveiw! **

* * *

Her son was doing it again. The haunting screams echoed throughout the house. She quickly jumped up and rushed to her son's room, ready to comfort him from the night's nightmare. He'd been having them a lot lately. Ever since he returned two weeks ago from that trip… He had a distant, haunted look in his eyes, and she noticed that he started favoring one arm more. 

She knelt down beside him, and put her hand on his forehead. No fever.

"No… Karasu, stay away…"

Karasu. Crow. She heard that name several times, and she couldn't help but wonder who it was. Shuuichi had flatly refused to go to a psychiatrist, saying that there was nothing wrong. Still… She had seen a dark figure outside his window on more than one occasion. She thought that this man had been the problem, and she had the local police put a watch on her house. Nothing had changed.

"…Kuronue… I didn't… I never meant to leave you to die like that…You told me to go… to save myself…"

That was new. Sure, she'd heard 'Kuronue' before, even when he was younger. Did her son witness this person die? She never knew he had any friends, outside of Yusuke, and even then, she'd met him when Shuuichi was a yuongerteenager.

Quickly, she left the room and ran down the hall to the bathroom. Once there, she reached for a glass, and filled it with water, before returning to her son's room. She threw the water on him, and he awoke with a start, drenched and screaming, before slipping back into unconsciousness.

"Shuuichi, Shuuichi, it's okay…" She reached out to comfort him. Suddenly, a crash jerked her away from her son, and a menacing voice filled the room.

"Stay away from him."

She almost fainted when she found herself with a blade at her throat. Then…

"Hn. Nevermind then."

The blade was removed. She turned. Shiori found herself facing the dark figure that had been outside Shuuichi's window. Glass from the window littered the floor. Her maternal instinct kicked in, and she stood in front of Shuuichi, trying to protect him.

"Who are you? Why are you here? What do you want with my son?"

The figure snorted and prepared to jump out the window.

"Leave without answering, and I'll… I'll.."

The figure stopped and snorted again.

"You'll _what?" _

"Answer my question!" She was beginning to lose her confidence, and it was showing through her voice. Oh, if only Hatanaka-san and Little Shuuichi hadn't gone on that fishing trip…

"My name is not important. I want nothing to do with Kurama. Due to recent events, I'm protecting him from anybody that will pose threat to him."

"Karasu? Is that your name? What have you done to my baby!"

The cloaked one sneered. "Do not insult me like that, idiot woman. Karasu is dead. Kurama made sure of that."

"Kurama? My son's name is Shuuichi!" She shouted, hoping it had all been a case of mistaken identity.

"Ah. That's right, he hasn't told you yet, has he?"

"Told me what?" Shiori asked nervously.

"It's not my place to tell you. The fox will tell you when he's ready."

Kurama stirred a little. Hiei strode over to the bedside. Shiori blocked him.

"Do you honestly think that a weak hu-… woman like you could stop me?" Hiei snarled.

"…Hiei? What the… Why are you here?" Kurama's voice came from the bed, as he sat up, confused.

"You were screaming, damn fox. Considering that pretty much everyone everywhere now knows that you're still alive, the bounty has been replaced, and the Toddler of Hell decided that you need guarded. Tentai or not, those damn hunters will still come after you."

Kurama rubbed his temples. "Damn… This isn't good… And I think that's the most I've ever heard you speak at one time." He gave a dry chuckle.

Shiori gasped at hearing her son curse. He had never been one for profanity, and that one word she heard shocked her. Plus, Tantei? He never mentioned having a job, much less being a detective. And what was this bounty?

Kurama jerked. He had forgotten that his mother was still in the room. He glanced around, and saw the floor covered with glass, the window broken, Hiei looking extremely pissed off, and his mother looking shocked. Not to mention that he'd just woken up from a nightmare involving Karasu and Kuronue. Overall, the situation didn't look appealing. In fact, it downright was disastrous.

"Mother…"

"Shuuichi, you know him?" She demanded.

"Well…"

At that moment, through the bedroom door, burst several officers of the Tokyo Police Department.

"Hold it right there!" Shouted one of the men, gun raised, at Hiei.

"You know fox, now I'm beginning to remember why I hate Ningenkai." Hiei said, with a sneer. "Has my probation been lifted yet?"

"Hiei… Don't…"

"You are under arrest from breaking and entering! You have the right to remain silent…" The officers swarmed in, guns still on Hiei, who in turn, growled.

"You know what? I don't think so. Remember Youko, even the best fall down sometimes. Take the fall, she deserves to know. No matter how much you don't want to tell her. Yukina has been informed." With that, he moved. The officers, taking it as a threat, shot at him. Only, instead of hitting him, the bullets went through thin air, and shattered the wall and several trinkets. Hiei was gone.

Kurama, the only one with a trained eye, saw Hiei flit away, leaving an exact image seconds before the officers started shooting.

"Where'd he go?"

"Check the surrounding property. He couldn't have gotten far. Upon hearing this, Kurama had to surpres a snort. By now, Hiei was probably on the other side of town.

"Kid? Ma'am? Are you two okay?"

"We're… fine…" Shiori murmured, shell shocked by the happenings of that past hour.

"We received a call from a neighbor. Apparently, your son was screaming, and there was a standoff. We'll find the guy, don't worry." At this Kurama did snort.

"The only way you could find Hiei is if he willingly showed himself to you. By this time, he's probably on the other side of town. If I were you, I wouldn't want to come across him."

This triggered an instant reaction from he police, and for the next two hours, Kurama and his mother were questioned nonstop. Did they know the person? Who was he? Did he take anything? Were they in any danger?

Then, at six am, the police left, but they had a cruiser keep watch down the street, even after being re-assured that no harm would come to them from the 'burglar' by Kurama.

The next few hours wore on slowly. They both sat on opposite ends of the living room couch. Kurama was jumpy. What did his mother know? What had he said during the nightmare? Subconsciously, he rubbed his arm, feeling a pain that was not there.

Shiori, had kept to herself, thinking about that morning's events. Out of the corner of her eyes, she caught the movement…

"…Shuuichi?" She began, hesitantly.

Kurama jumped, before regaining his calm composure.

"Yes, Okaasan?"

"Shuuichi… What happened tonight? Who was that man? What was he talking about?" She saw her son visibly cringed, and close his eyes. He sat there for a moment, rubbing his temples.

After a few minutes of silence, he began.

"Well, mother…"

At that moment, he realized what Hiei meant. Even the best fall down sometimes. And today, he needed to take the fall. Hiei told Yukina his secret. Yukina was reunited with her brother, someone she had deserved to know about a long time ago, and she accepted him no matter who he was. Now, it was Kurama's turn to loosen the grip on his secrets. Whether or not she accepted him into her family any longer, she still deserved to know.

"I know this will sound fake, and you won't believe me. You may not accept me into your family any longer. But mother, I am not what I seem… And I never was…"

* * *

**A/N:**

**I enjoy writing one-shots. Maybe now i'll finish my AU Darcia/Wolf's Rain oneshot that I've had by my computer since March. (School project. xD) It's interesting, to say the least. O.o**


End file.
